At least 73 residents in the besieged town of al-Hilaliya, Sudan, have died from a mysterious illness, according to the Sudanese Doctors Union.
The deaths come amid a siege by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have targeted villages across Sudan’s eastern El Gezira state since a high-ranking RSF commander defected to the Sudanese army.
The commander’s defection has sparked a wave of revenge attacks, displacing more than 135,000 people and intensifying the country’s already devastating humanitarian crisis.
The conflict between the Sudanese army and RSF has led to one of the world’s largest humanitarian crises, displacing over 11 million people, exacerbating hunger, and pulling in foreign interests with concerns of a potential state collapse.
While RSF shelling and gunfire have caused high death tolls in other parts of Gezira, residents in al-Hilaliya are facing an outbreak of diarrhea that has overwhelmed the local hospital, with resources stretched thin and medical staff struggling to contain the mysterious illness.
The RSF has enforced a network blackout in the area, further complicating efforts to identify the illness or connect with the outside world.
Local accounts reveal that residents only discovered deaths among family members when some managed to escape to areas with internet access.
Those attempting to flee face exorbitant fees demanded at RSF checkpoints, trapping many within the town.
The siege began on October 29, when RSF forces reportedly raided al-Hilaliya, killing five people and forcing others to seek refuge in three mosques. Many locals believe the RSF is targeting al-Hilaliya because it is home to defected commander Abuagla Keikal’s family. Once a stable trade hub with 50,000 residents and a haven for the displaced, al-Hilaliya now lies under siege, its markets and warehouses looted and its population confined.
Recent satellite images from the Yale Humanitarian Lab have shown alarming increases in cemetery sites in Gezira towns and evidence of scorched agricultural fields in nearby Azrag, marking the devastating impact of ongoing RSF attacks in the region.
